An Ontario woman said she was shocked after her insurance company refused to refund coverage she purchased for a vacation that was cancelled after her husband died.
Kathryn Ogiltree of Burlington said she and her husband, Bob, married for 48 years, decided last August to book a two week stay in Clearwater in March 2023.
"We thought let’s go away in 2023 because we haven't gone away because of COVID, so we were really looking forward to it,” she said.
The total cost of the two week stay came to $4,986 U.S. and they had to pay a deposit of half up front of $2,476 U.S., Ogiltree said, adding that she also chose to pay $383 U.S. for cancellation insurance.
"I paid (for cancellation insurance) and I got the confirmation I had it, but not even a month later, Bob passed away suddenly,” Ogiltree said. “He had a massive heart attack on September 21.”
While coping with Bob's death, Ogiltree said she reached out to the vacation rental, VRBO, and that ,while it was confirmed she paid for cancellation insurance, it appeared the money was never actually applied to a policy.
"I received confirmation that I would receive an email and it would come in two parts, but I never got it,” she said. “Nobody is taking responsibility for this error and it's my feeling I should get my money back.”
After Ogiltree reached out to CTV News Toronto, we contacted VRBO and its insurance provider, Generali.
A spokesperson for VRBO apologized for the negative experience in a written statement.
“Our teams looked into what happened and, due to an error, the Generali trip insurance Kathryn purchased alongside her VRBO booking was not processed correctly,” the company wrote. “However, we’re working with Generali to ensure the trip insurance coverage is applied retroactively to Kathryn’s booking, and Generali will be working directly with Kathryn to help her through the claims process.”
Eight months after trying to get her refund, Ogiltree said she just received her cheque for $2,476 U.S. Now, she said she plans to dedicate a bench in one of her husband's favourite parks in Burlington to him.
“I’m so thankful that I finally got my refund. I appreciate your help in making it happen,” Ogiltree said.
When booking trip insurance, you should check the cancellation policy carefully. Not all policies are the same, so you should ask for a copy of the policy and check the fine print.
